Eavor-Loop in Geretsried Delivers Electricity for the First Time: Breakthrough for Closed-Loop Geothermal and Baseload-Capable Energy
Calgary (Canada) / Geretsried (Germany) - In Geretsried, a commercial closed-loop geothermal system is feeding electricity into the German grid for the first time. With this, Eavor Technologies has reached a milestone and is positioning geothermal direct heat and power generation as a potentially scalable, baseload-capable option in the energy market.
Milestone for International Geothermal Development
With the commissioning of the Eavor-Loop, the Canadian company has been feeding electricity into the German grid since early December. “We are proud to announce the successful delivery of the world’s first electrons generated from closed-loop multilateral wells. With Geretsried now on-stream, we’re more confident than ever that our closed-loop geothermal system, designed for adaptability and suited to the world’s diverse regions, will secure its place as the leading solution for commercial geothermal applications,” said Mark Fitzgerald, President and CEO of Eavor. “We are especially grateful to our project partners for their confidence and early investment, which were instrumental in pushing the first-of-a-kind learning phase and advancing the project maturation,” added Fabricio Cesário, Head of Project Delivery and Operations, Eavor GmbH.
The project operates without natural geothermal water reservoirs and requires neither rock permeability nor reinjection. This significantly reduces subsurface technical complexity while keeping operations largely low-maintenance. Geretsried forms the foundation for a planned rollout across Europe and other markets.
Technology: How the Closed Loop Extracts Heat
The Eavor-Loop functions like a large underground radiator with completely sealed pipes. Two deep vertical wells are connected through horizontal laterals, forming a closed circuit. A working fluid circulates within the system, entirely isolated from the geological environment.
Circulation occurs largely without a pump through the thermosiphon effect: cooler fluid sinks, heats up in deep rock layers, and rises on its own. After about 30 minutes, the startup pump was able to be turned off. The system has also proven to be black-start capable, quickly adjustable, and able to operate in circulation mode without load for months.
The drilling phase was technically challenging: two vertical wells with six horizontally branched sidetracks each (12 total) were connected “toe to toe” underground using the Active Magnetic Ranging Tool (AMR). This created six pairs forming the underground heat exchanger. At 16 kilometers per pair, the wells are among the longest in the world. Accompanying data show a 50% reduction in drilling time per lateral and a tripling of drill-bit run times.
European Institutions Back New Geothermal Options
The commissioning has been met with strong interest from European institutions. EIB Vice-President Nicola Beer described the project as “a European success story in action: The first commercial Eavor-Loop plant shows that geothermal energy can be scaled up to deliver affordable, clean, and reliable heat and power to households and businesses - day and night, in every season. It cuts emissions and strengthens energy security.” The bank is supporting the facility with an InvestEU-backed loan of nearly €45 million. The Canada Growth Fund and Japanese utility CHUBU also view the project as an industrially significant technological leap.
Project partner OMV highlights its suitability for urban-proximate and baseload-capable use. The collected data will inform further development projects that Eavor is planning in Europe and worldwide.
Source: IWR Online, 09 Dec 2025
